Yay for Friday

   We made it through another week! This week was pretty easy at the home front. Most likely because I had my mom to help 2 of the days and she is actually coming tonight so Matt and I can go on a date. Yay for date night!!!

   Preslee got a play house from her Grandma and Grandpa Rusk I haven't been able to keep her out of it until the rain started then she was forced in side.

   Speaking of Preslee she has grown to have quite the goofy personality. She laughs a LOT and does things to try and make us laugh which we always do :)

   She also makes Zoey smile and laugh pretty much every day and that is the very best! I love my girls more then anything, it feels like I couldn't possibly love them any more then I already do but then Preslee starts talking and saying new things or runs up to me throws her arms around my neck and plants a huge wet kiss on my mouth and Zoey just gives me huge grins even when I am frustrated that shes not going to sleep and she just has to be the happiest baby on this planet. I never knew how happy a family could make me but I sure am glad I have one to love and be loved by.

   Ok enough of the mushy stuff. Yesterday was the first day I have ran outside sense having Zoey. I have been running on the treadmill for about 2 months and then took 2 weeks off because my right shin was bothering me and then I basically fell out of the car and both feet went under my treadmill and tore of my toenail and bruised the top of my feet, so that was fun... For having 2 weeks off i actually felt pretty great. It was a bit harder because of the whole outdoor elements but I LOVED it. I cant wait to get back out there.

   Today my legs are more sore then they have been in years and I seriously love it. Means I did something right! It does suck carrying a 25 lb toddler up the stairs to nap time though. Ouch!

   We are getting excited for the 4th of July run we do every year. I haven't decided if I am going to do the 5k or 8k yet though. I probably should figure that out soon. 

 

 

   Also I really need recommendations for a good pair of running headphones???

Getting my pre-baby body back

   I am not sure why but I LOVE talking about exercise and nutrition. Looking at me in my current state you would probably think I know nothing about either of those topics but i actually know a lot because I enjoy learning about it and trying new things to help me be healthy for my family.
   In 2013 we had a lot of big changes moving from our comfort zone in Oregon, complete career changes, and health issues that would change me forever. With all of this I was pregnant working 2 full time jobs and commuting 2-3 hours a day and the pounds starting creeping on, we would still continue to run when we had time but as time went on that was less and less. Fast forward a bit, Baby girl #1 was born and their was a new meaning to my life. A couple months later I was given a birth control that made me gain even more weight and mild depression so had that removed at about 8 months postpartum, something in my body must have gotten shaken up or something because a couple weeks later I found out I was about 7 weeks pregnant with baby girl #2. She wasn't necessarily planned but we knew we were supposed to have another baby soon we just didn't know it was going to be THAT soon.

   Anyways, I tried to keep my weight gain low because I was trying to lose the weight before finding out I was pregnant ( the whole reason I had the IUD removed). I did an ok job but being home full time with Preslee and a little boy I was babysitting it made it hard to always eat healthy because I pretty much had to eat during naps which didn't leave a lot of time to prepare meals. 
  
   Now this leaves me to my current situation. I am home full time with Zoey ( 4 months old) and Preslee ( 21 months old) and our Advocare business. 

  Matt and I both just completed the 24 day challenge with Advocare which really helped both of us jump start our weight loss. I lost 15 lbs during the challenge using the supplements and healthy eating to fuel my body and working out at the gym doing the C25K program and a Jamie Eason strength training program which i am really loving both! I use MyfitnessPal to track me Macros ad calories and Bodyspace for the strength training and an app for the C25K.

   I have a long ways to go to get back to my happy weight and to feel like me again. Right now I kind of feel like I am in someone elses body because my mind wants to do things that my body just can't. I now feel like I have the right tools to get where i want to be its just a matter of staying on track. Having Matt on board and doing this with me is soooo helpful. I just cant wait to be able to run like i use to and wear my closet full of clothes that are many many sizes to small right now.

Here is my main big goal is to get my body back to this. I have small 10lb goals and then one big goal. After I get back to this I will reevaluate and see where I want to go from there :)

Zoey Mae is born

   All throughout my pregnancy with Zoey I have had to have a bunch of ultrasounds because the doctors thought I had a 2 vessel umbilical cord and marginal cord insertion of the cord to the placenta. Everyone was worried about Zoey's weight, thinking she would be small and there was also other problems that could go along with it. I also wasn't able to continue on pregnancy past 40 weeks for safety reasons.
   As 39 weeks approached I was miserable, tired, felt super huge and it couldn't have been better timing to have a baby because my mom was able to take time off and Matt didn't have school for 2 weeks. So I asked the doctor if we could just get the show on the road sense we had tried membrane sweeping like 3 times and i was stuck dilated at 2-3 cms for weeks. On Tuesday December 29th I went in to the hospital to be induced. they tried cirvadal for 12 hours with no progress then I took some pill and I had pitocin and then things started to progress Friday but it was slow. I had to be monitored the whole time and at one point Zoey's heart beat dropped really low and the nurse couldn't get it up and she pushed a help button and my doctor and like 6 nurses rushed in to help me roll over and get a better monitoring Matt and I were so scared my heart was beating out of my chest and I had tears in my eyes. ( just typing this makes me teary eyed I was so worried about her) Anyways they found her heartbeat strong again and they thought it was just the monitor acting up.

  My mom and Matt took turns coming to the hospital with Preslee but she couldn't stay to long because she wanted to run around and she was still taking naps pretty often. Finally Saturday morning the 31st things started to progress. We had decided that it would be just Matt and I in the delivery room this time and my mom would stay with Preslee in the waiting room.
   My doctor came in and let me know her shift ends soon and that the new doctor coming in was the one i did NOT want so she told me I had to push this baby out by 7am if i wanted her to deliver which I very much did. Around a quarter to 7 they set up a mirror and a push bar so i could do things the same way I did with Preslee and I started pushing with my half warn off epidural which hurt like heck!!! I think I pushed during 2 contractions and the nurse called in the doctor because she knew I meant business and we could already start to see Zoey. I pushed for maybe 5 more contractions and her head came out and then pushed once more and the doctor had to help get her shoulders out which we learned 18 hours later that she had broke her collar bone on the way out. 7:09am and we had a brand new baby girl in our arms weighing 8lbs 11oz. Definitely not small like everyone was telling us to prepare for. We weren't sure what her name would be when we were at the hospital but as I lay there holding her Matt and I looked at each other and knew her name should be Zoey Mae. 

   Our labor went pretty well I didn't need any stitches but I did hemorrhage which was really scary I was on the edge of needing a blood transfusion but thankfully didn't. I had several episodes of almost passing out and had to be on oxygen on and off I only got to hold Zoey for about a minute and then they had the hospital neonatal pediatrician come in and pump the amniotic fluid out of her because she swallowed a lot on the way out and was breathing funny because of it. Because of that and her broken collar bone she didn't want to nurse she just slept ALOT!
   My mom was all ready almost to the hospital when I called her and I told her we were just taking a break from pushing ( like we did with Preslee) and that she could come in with Preslee for awhile if she wanted. She was shocked to see Matt holding Zoey it was awesome :) We love her to pieces and seeing Preslee meet her for the first time was making my heart feel like it might explode, she just wanted to keep kissing her over and over. We couldn't imagine life without our 2 beautiful little girls.